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Boehner weighs in on Benghazi hearing

Obama fires back against Benghazi attacks

But Boehner’s become obsessed with Benghazi.

With Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) as the public face and the speaker’s office as the muscle, House Republicans are turning turn the story of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack in Libya that left four Americans dead from a mesh of confusing details into a defining political fight with President Barack Obama.

Republicans who have found themselves on the wrong side of public opinion on nearly every issue this year — from tightening gun laws, to same-sex marriage to raising taxes on wealthy earners — have, through their highly publicized investigation, embarrassed the Obama administration.

The night before last week’s high-profile Benghazi hearing, Boehner and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Issa discussed strategy for 30 minutes in the speaker’s office. For the hearing, Issa gave committee members assignments and directed them to stick to pre-approved lanes to avoid confusion or duplicative questioning, several lawmakers said.

Issa plans more hearings, and committee sources say subpoenas and additional depositions are more likely.

Starting last fall, Boehner has run a Capitol-wide campaign to keep turf-conscious committee chairs informed, at the same time using his sway to press the Obama administration to comply with congressional investigators trying to untangle what happened.

The speaker has privately strategized with high-profile GOP senators like John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and held briefings for top committee figures like House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.).

Boehner has told leadership colleagues when they’re focusing on the terrorist attack, they’re fighting on their political ground.

“This is all Boehner,” said one senior Republican aide of the focus on Benghazi. “He’s obsessed with it. He brings it up all the time.” The sentiment was echoed with conversations throughout leadership, and the dynamic is acknowledged by his own aides.

For Boehner and GOP leaders, specifically, it has also become an effective way help them win valuable points with a right wing that has distrusted — and at times embarrassed — the leadership.

Of course, Boehner hasn’t quieted all of his Republican critics in Washington. GOP leadership has resisted calls for a select committee to look into the attack. Behind the scenes, leaders have also been hesitant to approve the use of subpoenas for top White House and State Department officials.

The focus on Benghazi also won’t quiet the do-nothing House talk either. With the immigration bill starting to move through the Senate and decisions to be made on the debt ceiling and budget, there’s other work to be done.